Would you correct my English, please? ( Apr. 13 )

Question

Hello. I wrote two dialogues. Would you check them, please?

No. 1

M: We've really been short-handed here lately.

F: Right. We need more staff.

M: OK. I'll have a talk with my boss about it.

F: Thank you. Be counting on you. [ I can count on you. ]

No. 2

M: These Japanese lamps are nice.

F: Oh, they are made in China.

M: Really? They're indistinguishable.

F: No wonder. There has been a long history Japan and China.

Thank you. kenta

KrisBlueNZ · Accepted Answer

KentaM: We've really been short-handed here lately.
F: Right. We need more staff.
M: OK. I'll have a talk with my boss about it.
F: Thank you. Be counting on you.

"Be counting on you" probably should be "I'LL be counting on you" or "I'M counting on you". Omitting the I'LL is a type of slang and could be considered wrong in written English.

I would use "short-staffed" rather than "short-handed", or you could say "We've been RUSHED OFF OUR FEET here lately", but that may not be what you want to say.
"HAVE A TALK WITH my boss" can be shortened to "TALK WITH my boss" or "TALK TO my boss". TALK WITH implies consultation, i.e. talking and listening, or discussing, and TALK TO implies (weakly) that you're just going to TELL your boss something.

KentaM: These Japanese lamps are nice.
F: Oh, they are made in China.
M: Really? They're indistinguishable.
F: No wonder. There has been a long history Japan and China.

INDISTINGUISHABLE usually goes with FROM - "Really? They're INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM Japanese ones", or you can say "Chinese and Japanese lamps are INDISTINGUISHABLE". In your example it's obvious what you mean, from the first two lines, but the word INDISTINGUISHABLE really needs a clearer connection to the two things. You could also say "What do you think of these Chinese and Japanese lamps?" "They're INDISTINGUISHABLE." (This means "indistinguishable FROM each other".) As long as it's reasonably clear what INDISTINGUISHABLE refers to, you're OK.

"There has been a long history Japan and China" is wrong. You could say "long history OF Japan and China" but that still doesn't convey the right meaning. If the lamps are similar, maybe you're talking about a long history of cultural exchange (or intercultural INFLUENCE, if you want to look like a smart-***) between Japan and China, or you could just say that JapanESE and ChinESE culture have a lot of history IN COMMON.

Kenta · Answer

Hi, KrisBlueNZ.

You taught me a lot. I'm very glad.

Thank you. kenta

Would you correct my English, please? ( Apr. 13 )

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